The present invention relates generally to methods and apparatus for verifying the location of wireless devices and, more particularly, to methods and apparatus for identifying and selecting a desired wireless device from multiple available wireless devices.
Wireless connectivity between electronic devices is becoming increasingly widespread. Some wireless connectivity protocols, such as Bluetooth(trademark) wireless technology, allow multiple electronic devices to be wirelessly networked together. Such devices may include desktop computers, mobile computers, printers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), mobile phones, pagers, headphones, speakers, etc. Each device in the network may communicate with other devices through point-to-point or point-to-multipoint connections.
Wireless networks may include two, three or more devices. In such a network, when the user of a first wireless device, such as a PDA, wants to connect to another wireless device, such as a printer, the user must first identify and select the desired device. The user may cause the PDA to search the wireless network and list all networked devices it finds. Each device may be listed with an assigned name or other identifier. If the user can match the listed name or identifier to the desired device, then the user selects that device. However, the user may be unfamiliar with the devices in this network, or one or more devices may not be listed with an identifier. Even if the user recognizes and selects the desired device, the user may desire to confirm that the user""s device is communicating with the desired device.
One method of obtaining this confirmation is to convey information from the selected or desired wireless device to the user. In the field of printers, for example, a number of techniques and features are utilized to convey printer status information to a user. Many printers include one or more indicator lights on an outer portion or control panel of the printer. For example, the DeskJet(copyright)970 color inkjet printer, produced by Hewlett-Packard Co. of Palo Alto, Calif., utilizes three LED (light emitting diode) indicators on a control panel. A Print Cartridge Status LED flashes to indicate that one or more print cartridges are low on ink, improperly installed or malfunctioning. A Resume LED flashes to prompt the user to press a resume button to continue printing. A Power LED indicates that the printer is on and flashes when the printer is processing information.
Some more expensive printers, such as the Color LaserJet(copyright)4500 printer also produced by Hewlett-Packard Co., include an LCD (liquid crystal display) or other type of display mounted on the printer that generates messages to the user. However, these displays are costly and add manufacturing complexity to the product, making them ill-suited for a low-cost consumer printer.
Particularly for low-cost consumer printers and other inexpensive wireless devices, it would be desirable to convey wireless connection information through existing features or additional inexpensive features. Thus, what is needed is a method and apparatus for verifying that a first wireless device is communicating with a second wireless device, with the method utilizing existing or additional but inexpensive features of the devices.
The present invention overcomes or reduces the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a method and apparatus for identifying and selecting a desired wireless device from multiple available wireless devices. In one embodiment, the desired wireless device receives a signal from a searching wireless device. An indicator on the desired wireless device is then activated in a unique identification pattern that may be recognized by the user of the searching wireless device to verify that the desired wireless device is receiving the signal from the searching wireless device.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional features and advantages be included herein within the scope of the present invention.